The International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) wrapped up its 2025 annual meeting with a decision to substantially raise the total allowable catch (TAC) for bluefin tuna.
Following last-minute negotiations, largely driven by a proposal from the European Union, delegates agreed to set the TAC at 48,403 tonnes per year for the next three years, marking one of the most significant increases in recent memory.
For the European Union, the outcome translates into a boost of 3,661 tonnes in fishing opportunities for eastern and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, bringing the EU’s annual total to 25,164 tonnes.
“Almost 20 years ago bluefin tuna stock was close to depletion in the EU,” said Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans.
“In 2007, the EU and ICCAT introduced a multiannual recovery plan. At this year’s ICCAT meeting, after intense negotiations, the EU succeeded in having its proposal approved, and we can provide EU fishers with a 17% increase of bluefin tuna fishing quota for the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.”
Beyond bluefin tuna, ICCAT advanced conservation measures for other species. Delegates approved an EU-backed proposal to further limit catches of southern shortfin mako sharks and backed a new process to address persistent overshooting in yellowfin tuna allocations.
However, they failed to reach consensus on aligning bigeye tuna quotas with scientific advice.
ICCAT’s 2025 meeting took place from 17 to 24 November, gathering 52 contracting parties responsible for managing Atlantic tuna stocks.
